If you want to get good at something, have more energy, and feel more accomplished, there’s one key thing you need to do: stop trying to be more productive.Thanks for reading James’s Substack!
So lucky to able to work from home. When things get boring I can just work on my fiction or draw or read or even play video games, and nobody will be there to tell me off. These 8-hour shifts are just not worth it. 4-hour shifts with 8-hour pay should be the norm 🙈
I suck at resting. I have a quip with it that runs deep. Part of it is that I am a survivor of CPTSD and was in a state of such hyper vigilance in the midst of chaos at every level, that I never really developed a “standard of care” for myself. I became a mother and look after my kids much better than I look after myself and much better than I was looked after as a kid. The kids are always well dressed and clean. And I am.. not. Lol. And now, at 29, washing my hair or face is STILL work. Simple, important tasks are still work, and still SO draining. Even if I don’t do much in a day, I am so tired. It’s just this chapter of my healing journey I suppose.
This speaks to my soul. My pregnancy and maternity leave have given me the unexpected gift of hitting pause so i can reflect on and tune into a rhythm that actually flows for me (not a rhythm that is based on keeping up with “the standard” and feeling burned out/depleted/uninspired). it felt validating to read that knowledge workers simply can’t keep up with this made up 40 hour work week. I am so excited to recreate and reprioritize my rhythm. Thank you
Two hours of writing (and staring out the window) before lunch is what works best for me. The rest of the day is for tending to other life matters, reading and letting my brain leisurely whir. If I'm feeling particularly fired up, maybe I'll do one more hour of writing after dinner, but usually, once I'm done around 1-1:30 PM, I pack up for the day. Creating is vital but so is letting stuff simmer.
Wow, thank you so much! This pretty much sums up my latest thoughts in a much more elaborate way. :D I used to work self-employed, but couldn't find financial stability..so I started a corporate job a few months ago (for the first time in my life) and frankly... It's so pointless, all these hours in front of a screen, which bring me a small salary - not to say tiny, in comparison to what the managers earn. I am looking for ways out. Articles like this keep me motivated that it's possible.
You had me from the very start with “stop trying to be more productive.” Unfortunately, I’m currently stuck working 9 hour shifts between exact set hours on exact days, as I legally have to “apprentice” under an established member of my field before I can become licensed and set out on my own. It’s crushing! It does feel punitive and like a complete waste of time. I can’t actually work for 9 hours a day, but heaven forbid I let my Teams go inactive!
What’s worse, is I don’t know that it will ever get better for those who are unable and/or unwilling to step out and try to make it on their own. All I know is everything about the current system feels deeply wrong on a base level.
I’ve been skirting around this for years, complaining about my bullshit job. But the fact is I work from home most of the time, and I’m just now starting to work at finding a creative rhythm within as well as outside my workday. If I can take 15 minutes to fold laundry, I can take 20 minutes to write down an idea, right?
im doing a phd right now, and this is a recurring mantra for me that i harp on with my friends, too. a lot of our work involves the “admin” busywork of emails or fellowship applications that sometimes get in the way of doing the research and writing we love (even tho we do the admin to help us get funding or build connections etc etc). often i feel more productive if i do just an hour of my stuff, even if the rest of the day is dedicated to the busywork, as opposed to a whole 8 hour day of busywork. like…i think it’s this balance of being productive vs being fulfilled that im personally striving for in my workflow right now. how can i carve out even a little time every day to do something to advance the goals *i* care about?
cal sometimes gives me the ick, but slow productivity did get me thinking…
So lucky to able to work from home. When things get boring I can just work on my fiction or draw or read or even play video games, and nobody will be there to tell me off. These 8-hour shifts are just not worth it. 4-hour shifts with 8-hour pay should be the norm 🙈
I suck at resting. I have a quip with it that runs deep. Part of it is that I am a survivor of CPTSD and was in a state of such hyper vigilance in the midst of chaos at every level, that I never really developed a “standard of care” for myself. I became a mother and look after my kids much better than I look after myself and much better than I was looked after as a kid. The kids are always well dressed and clean. And I am.. not. Lol. And now, at 29, washing my hair or face is STILL work. Simple, important tasks are still work, and still SO draining. Even if I don’t do much in a day, I am so tired. It’s just this chapter of my healing journey I suppose.
This speaks to my soul. My pregnancy and maternity leave have given me the unexpected gift of hitting pause so i can reflect on and tune into a rhythm that actually flows for me (not a rhythm that is based on keeping up with “the standard” and feeling burned out/depleted/uninspired). it felt validating to read that knowledge workers simply can’t keep up with this made up 40 hour work week. I am so excited to recreate and reprioritize my rhythm. Thank you
Two hours of writing (and staring out the window) before lunch is what works best for me. The rest of the day is for tending to other life matters, reading and letting my brain leisurely whir. If I'm feeling particularly fired up, maybe I'll do one more hour of writing after dinner, but usually, once I'm done around 1-1:30 PM, I pack up for the day. Creating is vital but so is letting stuff simmer.
Wow, thank you so much! This pretty much sums up my latest thoughts in a much more elaborate way. :D I used to work self-employed, but couldn't find financial stability..so I started a corporate job a few months ago (for the first time in my life) and frankly... It's so pointless, all these hours in front of a screen, which bring me a small salary - not to say tiny, in comparison to what the managers earn. I am looking for ways out. Articles like this keep me motivated that it's possible.
You had me from the very start with “stop trying to be more productive.” Unfortunately, I’m currently stuck working 9 hour shifts between exact set hours on exact days, as I legally have to “apprentice” under an established member of my field before I can become licensed and set out on my own. It’s crushing! It does feel punitive and like a complete waste of time. I can’t actually work for 9 hours a day, but heaven forbid I let my Teams go inactive!
What’s worse, is I don’t know that it will ever get better for those who are unable and/or unwilling to step out and try to make it on their own. All I know is everything about the current system feels deeply wrong on a base level.
I’ve been skirting around this for years, complaining about my bullshit job. But the fact is I work from home most of the time, and I’m just now starting to work at finding a creative rhythm within as well as outside my workday. If I can take 15 minutes to fold laundry, I can take 20 minutes to write down an idea, right?
im doing a phd right now, and this is a recurring mantra for me that i harp on with my friends, too. a lot of our work involves the “admin” busywork of emails or fellowship applications that sometimes get in the way of doing the research and writing we love (even tho we do the admin to help us get funding or build connections etc etc). often i feel more productive if i do just an hour of my stuff, even if the rest of the day is dedicated to the busywork, as opposed to a whole 8 hour day of busywork. like…i think it’s this balance of being productive vs being fulfilled that im personally striving for in my workflow right now. how can i carve out even a little time every day to do something to advance the goals *i* care about?
cal sometimes gives me the ick, but slow productivity did get me thinking…
I love being busy but it also constantly leaves me exhausted - so much to think about here, Thankyou for writing it!
Love this so
Much. Thank you.